


Meet Me in the Woods

by bubble_tea_and_bonzai



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji and Kuroo Tetsurou are brothers, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Bokuto Koutarou, Jealousy, Kinda?, Light Angst, Lonely Akaashi Keiji, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Bokuto Koutarou, Protective Bokuto Koutarou, Supernatural Elements, Werewolf Bokuto Koutarou, Werewolves, bc i like it like that LMAO
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29638170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubble_tea_and_bonzai/pseuds/bubble_tea_and_bonzai
Summary: A bad breakup, a move, and now a mysterious pet wolf who acts more like a puppy.Where did Keiji go wrong?(or a bokuaka fic where bokuto is a werewolf)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Original Character(s)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 94





	1. Lost in the Wild

**Author's Note:**

> hi! hope you enjoy. i was gonna post this this morning but we had a fuckin power outage at like 3am. i was pissed LMAO

The notification on Keiji’s phone taunted him. It was a simple text. Nothing worth the deep rooted anger it garnered from him, not even worth his attention, really, but yet, the temptation to look was so bad it itched. His fingers twitched at the thought.

“So what do you think, ‘Ji?” Tetsurou asked. He hefted the box in his arms up when it began to slip. “Is it anything like you remember?” 

Considering this, Keiji glanced around the cabin. Most of the dust had been wiped down with the help of his brother, revealing the rustic furniture beneath. It had a homey feel to it, sunlight streaming in from the vast windows and warming the wooden planks beneath chilly toes. In all honesty, Keiji didn’t feel an ounce of familiarity. 

“Not really,” he told Tetsurou. He took the box from his brother before placing it down with the rest. “There isn’t much to remember.” 

Their family’s vacation home had been long abandoned since they’d moved down to a small Southern island when Keiji was young. The brothers were likely the first people to visit in over a decade. Keiji’s memories of summers spent here were sparse and fleeting: a glimpse of a river here or hiking with his dad there. Despite this, there was something comforting in this little wooden home, unfamiliar or not. 

Tetsurou made a move to reach for his cheek, likely to pinch it. Keiji backed away from the hand with a glare as his brother chuckled,“Aw, that’d break Dad’s heart if he heard you say that. You used to love coming up here, Keiji. It was so cute, you’d get all excited to swim.” Keiji scowled. He hated when Tetsurou teased him. 

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Keiji huffed as he began to unpack. “It’s perfect, honestly. Small enough to clean, cheap bills, and…” he trailed off. 

_ And as far away from Kyushu as possible.  _

A discomfort settled in the air. His brother’s face tightened in concern. He clearly knew where Keiji’s thoughts were heading.

“And I can get some solitude, maybe get some work done,” Keiji finished, blandly. It wasn’t untrue. Keiji had spent the last several months drowning in work. He’d fallen behind in his editing, a little preoccupied with…  _ other  _ things. 

He thought back to the text waiting for him.

Clearing his throat, Tetsurou agreed, “I think it’ll be good for you, y’know. You’ve had a rough year, ‘Ji.” 

The silence they lapsed into felt out of place as they continued moving Keiji in. It was a sore spot for Keiji, of course, but his brother as well. Both of them felt betrayed.

When the last box was packed away, Tetsurou announced his departure. Keiji followed him outside, pulling up his hood when it began to rain. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay a few days? I have the whole weekend off,” Tetsurou offered. His suggestion was nonchalant, posed as an idea rather than a favor. But Keiji noticed the way he eyed his little brother’s nervous pacing. Keiji shook his head, smiling softly.

“No, I’m okay, Tetsu. Thank you for helping me.” Keiji was lucky to have him. Tetsurou grinned back. 

“Okay, kid. I’m gonna head out then before the storm catches up. Call me if you need me?” Keiji confirmed with a nod. “Love you, ‘Ji.” 

His cell phone burned a hole in his pocket as he watched his brother’s truck shrink in the distance. He’d gone this long without checking, maybe he deserved a reward. What harm could one glimpse do? 

Keiji slid the phone out of his hoodie, stealing a peek at the screen. He wished he hadn’t.

**RECEIVED: Yuu (2:22 PM)**

**Did you make it there okay?**

**_Seen 6:12 PM_ **

He turned his phone off with trembling fingers. 

* * *

The howling wind shook through his drenched pelt, a shiver dancing its way down his spine. Koutarou’s mouth hung open, panting in a futile attempt to catch his breath. His temperature tended to run on the hotter side, but even then, he wondered if it would be enough. 

Several inconveniences had fallen in line to create this perfect storm: the fight, the little girl,  _ the literal storm.  _ It was as if he were cursed. 

It was the first of the month. Hunting day, of course. Unfortunately for him, game had been sparse in his woods as of late. There’d be an accident in the nearby human settlement, resulting in a disastrous oil spill that contaminated the lake in the neighboring forest and forced prey to migrate. Luckily enough, Koutarou’s home hadn’t been damaged, but he found himself dealing with a little more…  _ competition  _ than he was used to. 

He’d grumbled his way home, following the path along the river. To make matters worse, the steady drizzle from earlier had turned into downpour. 

_ Stupid fucking bear,  _ he thought. His stomach growled harshly in agreement. 

His bout of self pity was interrupted when he heard giggles across the stream. He ‘woofed’ in confusion at the scent of a human. 

“Puppy!” Golden eyes widened at the sight of the little girl reaching chubby fingers out to him from across the river. Sopping brown hair was tied back in braids, revealing cold pink cheeks and glittering eyes. A little red raincoat swallowed her, hanging down to her knees and making her look even smaller. She couldn’t be much older than a toddler. Where were her parents?

The mud surrounding was sticky and thick; it was the perfect trap. The little girl took another step forward, and Koutarou’s heart sank at the sight. 

_ No! Don’t-- _

It was too late. Her matching red boot slid out from underneath her, falling into the river and taking her along with it. She screamed. 

Koutarou’s response was immediate; the wolf plunged his way into the roaring water. The force of his body disturbed the bed of sand at the bottom and he found himself nearly blinded by the particles. Despite this, he began to kick his legs even faster. 

_ Gotta get her. Where is she? Where is she?  _

His eyes strained to stay open through the pain. Koutarou was still weak, starving from his failure this morning. The only thing that kept him going was the adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

With no sight of the child, panic began to set in. The river was tumultuous on a good day, the storm only exacerbated this. Worse yet, the natural chill of the water felt like ice with the dropping temperatures in the woods. Weren’t humans sensitive to that kind of thing?

A flash of red in the corner of his eye caught his attention. His stomach flooded with relief. He kicked his legs back rapidly, paddling toward her. 

She thrashed around desperately, little sobs escaping her quivering body. The scrunchies holding her hair back had been pulled out and lost to the current, leaving her hair a tangled mess around her eyes and blinding her. Koutarou pressed his body against her and prayed she would latch on. 

Clumsy fingers balled into fists in his fur. She tried to heft herself up, but the gushing water pulled her back down. Koutarou needed to get them out of there. 

He fought his way against the tide toward the closest ledge. His front paws scrambled against the mud, slipping back down into the coursing river. The little girl shrieked in fear and clenched her fingers tighter.

_ I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.  _

When he was finally able to heft them up, he whimpered in relief, but his optimism was short lived. The rain from before was now a full-fledged thunderstorm. The trees around them shook with the force of the wind and the pelting rain seemed to taunt them. He clenched his eyes shut, needing a minute to catch his breath. Her soft cries on his back reminded him of his previous urgency. 

_ Gotta get her out of here. Gotta keep her safe.  _

With the last of his energy, Koutarou began to run. The village nearby was too far. There was no way this little girl had just wandered out here from home; she had to have been camping with family. He scented the air, but to his dismay, caught nothing. All he could smell was the wet earth. 

_ What do I do? _ He was getting desperate. She had begun to quiet down on his back, and if it weren’t for the thundering heartbeat against his spine and the soft whispers of ‘ _ puppy?’  _ he might’ve thought she’d already died. It was cold,  _ bitterly cold _ , even for a wolf. He couldn’t imagine how the chilling air felt on a soaked child. 

To make matters worse, Koutarou couldn’t even rely on his knowledge of the forest to get her to the village. His senses were so overwhelmed with the storm he could hardly think straight. 

His body began to fail him, vision blurring. He was just  _ so  _ tired. The only thing that kept him going was her. 

Rain drenched him to his core, weighing him down further as he ran and slowing him down. His movements became sloppier and he began to stumble.

Before the first trickle of doubt could reach him, he caught sight of a faint light in the distance. Koutarou squinted, frantically trying to see through the surrounding bubble of downpour. A fire lit in his heart.

_ A cabin.  _

Energy renewed, the wolf sprinted toward the light. In the darkness and cold, it was the only thing guiding him. 

When he was within several meters of the cabin, his back leg caught on a stump. He jolted, stumbling to the dirt floor along with the little girl. The motion threw her a foot or so away. She cried in pain and reached for him, pulling herself toward his warm body. Koutarou noticed the awkward bend of her ankle. 

_ Please,  _ he begged the forest around him.  _ Please get her inside.  _

A howl emanated from the deepest part of his chest, the loudest sound he could make. He continued making a ruckus and hoped with everything in him those in the cabin could hear. The exhaustion of an empty stomach combined with his injuries left him immobile. No amount of determination could get Koutarou up at this point; he was done for-- but there was hope for her. 

The girl began to scream as well. Whether it was out of fear or realization of what Koutarou was doing, he couldn’t tell. Either way, he was grateful. 

Just as his eyes began to slide shut, he heard a distant voice.

“ _ What is… oh my god…”  _

He sighed, flopping his body down entirely. It was okay, she was going to be okay; help was here. 

He spent the next several minutes phasing in and out of consciousness, life flashing before his eyes. Koutarou would’ve never thought he’d have died this young, or like this. He’d always thought he’d go out with a bang-- maybe in an epic fight with another wolf, or maybe some other predator. Maybe even chasing down those awful poachers. 

When he thought of that sweet little smile beneath rosy cheeks, he figured this was  [ **okay** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNGLU_VsePg) too. 

* * *

“Oh my god,” Keiji whispered for the hundredth time. Big brown eyes welled with tears as she stared up at him. He’d immediately gotten the child into the smallest set of clothes he owned, but she was still swallowed by them. After wrapping her hair in a towel, he’d draped as many blankets as he could finger around trembling shoulders. She was still shivering; this was a good sign.

He began to check her for injuries, heart breaking at the sight of her ankle. He wished he could call town for help, but the power lines had all been knocked over. The little cabin was lit with candles-- definitely not how he’d planned on spending his first night in his new home.

“Oh honey,” he said, softly, gently tracing the skin above the swollen limb. “What were you doing out there?” 

She shook her head, little hiccups erupting from her as she tried to catch her breath.

She ignored his question. “You-- you need to go get my friend,” she insisted. He frowned.

“What? I didn’t see--” he paused.

Her friend...

_ The wolf?  _ The thought nearly made him hysterical. She wanted him to go get…  _ the giant fucking wolf?  _

He’d assumed the animal was just another victim of the storm, maybe it’d gotten injured nearby and the girl had clung to its dying body for warmth. This was still the most likely explanation. 

“Honey, I don’t think…” he chuckled, uncomfortably. She shook her head again, little brows furrowing in frustration. A little piece of chestnut hair slipped out of the towel with her frantic motion. He moved to brush it aside as she continued.

“ _ Please,  _ Mister. He carried me here. He  _ saved me.  _ Please don’t let him die.” 

Keiji blanched a little. He must’ve misunderstood-- there was no way a wolf, a  _ wild animal,  _ had carried her here. Maybe that was just an abnormally large dog outside. He hesitated. Even without the dead weight, could he lift that thing?

He debated on it for a few seconds, before meeting sad brown eyes again. Her bottom lip quivered.

_ I can’t leave a dog out there in this weather,  _ he finally decided with a sigh. He fixed the blanket slipping off her shoulder and stood up. 

“I’ll go, but you need to stay here. Okay?” He lowered his head to make eye contact, firm but reassuring. She popped her lips and nodded nervously. 

“Okay, Mister.” 

Nothing could’ve prepared Keiji for the raging storm outside. In the last few minutes, it had seemingly gone from bad to worse. The wind whipped his curls around, blinding him even more in the already low visibility the rain bestowed. The trees surrounding him shuddered down to their roots; they looked ready to take flight. He flinched at the crack of lightning a few hundred meters away.

With his hood pulled up, Keiji squinted against the downpour. He scanned his yard for the animal, eventually noticing the large mass toward the edge. Swallowing, he ventured into the danger. 

Once he’d gotten close enough to inspect the damage, his heart sank. The animal was propped on its side, chest heaving underneath its dripping coat. Its eyes fluttered open as it whimpered softly. 

Keiji slid to his knees carefully so as not to disturb it. He found himself brushing a soothing hand down its spine, noticing the slight jut of ribs against his fingers. Even with all that fur, it was freezing. 

“Poor baby,” he whispered, sadly. Slitted eyes slid over to him, as if noticing him for the first time. There was an unexpected intelligence there. A flutter of anxiety ran through him at the confirmation of his original theory. 

_ This is not a dog.  _

Wolf or not, Keiji had made his decision and considered the best way to do this. With shivering arms, he began to lift underneath the wolf’s stomach, attempting to pull him over his shoulders. 

Keiji was a tall man, and a relatively fit one at that-- but his legs began to tremble with strain, chest tightening. Once the animal was secured over his shoulders, he glanced around, looking for the light of his home to guide them back in the mist of the storm. He wheezed in a breath before sealing his fate.

* * *

Within a few days of the weather clearing, Keiji was finally able to make contact with someone from emergency services. He explained his predicament on the phone over breakfast, brushing bangs back from cocoa-brown eyes and smiling sweetly at the little girl across from him. She rewarded him with a toothy grin. 

“Yes, she says her name is Sorawo. I don’t think she even knows her last name, she’s barely five,” he told the woman. “She says she was camping with her parents and they got separated, have you by chance heard from them?” 

Thankfully, they had. Her father had been frantic, searching high and low and calling daily apparently. When he came to retrieve his daughter, she squealed in delight and began to limp toward him. Although Keiji had splinted it to the best of his abilities, he was certain she needed more medical attention. Her father lifted her gently and began to sob, quietly. He looked at Keiji with watery eyes.

“I can’t-- I can’t possibly thank you enough.” He gasped a shuddering breath, stroking a few strands of hair away from her rosy cheeks. “It was, it was like she was there one second and then just…” He squeezed his eyes shut. “ _ Gone.”  _

Keiji’s heart ached at the sight of the pair, but he dismissed it quickly. Pointless longing would do no good. 

“I’m just happy she’s safe now.” 

Her father, Ito-san, insisted he find some way to repay Keiji: money, gifts,  _ anything.  _ Keiji politely refused. After denying their invitation to dinner, the father and daughter left the little cabin with promises of future visits. As sweet as they were, Keiji couldn’t help but feel relieved. He had bigger issues to deal with-- or,  _ issue,  _ that is. 

With supplies in hand, Keiji went to check on said  _ ‘issue’.  _

He cracked the door to the backroom slightly, noticing the near-motionless heap of fur on the floor still hadn’t moved. His shoulders dropped, relieved, and he pushed the door the rest of the way. 

For the last several days, Keiji had been nurturing-- or at least,  _ attempting  _ to nurture-- the wolf back to health. He had no good explanation for this. It was a feral animal, and a huge one at that. Keiji was more than aware that at any moment, the wolf could awaken and decide to attack him, a battle  _ easily  _ won. He had yet to come up with a solid contingency plan for this but still-- Keiji knew he couldn’t abandon the animal, and he wasn’t sure any small town vet would be willing to care for it. 

_ Yuuma always said you were too reckless,  _ he thought as he began his daily routine, a bittersweet smile crossing his face. 

Taking care of the wolf was an interesting task. There were no physical injuries-- at least, none visible to Keiji’s naked eye, but the wolf had yet to awaken once or show any indication of doing so. Its breathing had improved gradually over its time in Keiji’s care, but that was it. This left Keiji to theorize. 

As much as he doubted Sorawo’s story, he figured there must have been some truth to it. How else would a child have been able to walk through that wind, much less with a broken ankle? More so, the way its skin clung tight to its bones left Keiji wondering how Sorawo avoided getting eaten. He shivered at the thought. 

So far, the best he could come up with was that it was malnourished and in some sort of comatose state while its body recovered. The weakness of hunger in combination with the grueling weather must’ve left the animal weakened. 

He spooned some blended meat-water mixture into a syringe. As disgusting as it was, Keiji didn’t understand much about wolves other than they were carnivorous, and it wasn’t like he’d had any internet to investigate. He checked the animal’s pulse daily beneath grey fur, soft with the effort he’d put into cleaning it. The poor thing had been filthy, matted with dirt. There was no way it was comfortable. 

After finishing its first feeding of the day, Keiji couldn’t help himself. With tentative fingers, he pulled back the edge of the wolf’s lip, revealing a set of razor-sharp incisors. Nervously, he slid back and stood to his feet, closing the door behind him as he left. 

He gathered all his devices, scanning through for missed messages. After days of no connection, he was unsurprised to find dozens. Much of the northern parts of the country had suffered from outages and floods, making headlines across Japan. Frustrated, he scrubbed at the bags underneath his eyes before sorting out the ones from Tetsurou to respond to. He left the rest unread. 

When he sat down to work for the first time since his arrival, he found himself too distracted to even start. Why was he doing this? What benefit did he gain from this? 

The nauseating curl of loneliness in his gut was enough of an answer. 

* * *

A blanket of warmth surrounded Keiji, waking him up. He smiled drowsily and kept his eyes shut, sinking further back into his pillow. The smell of fresh linen around him threatened to pull him back under before the blanket shifted again. He let out a quiet groan. 

“Yuu, baby, go back to bed,” he murmured, the words slurred with sleep. ‘Yuu’ panted in response. Keiji froze. 

_ Wait.  _

Keiji’s eyes snapped open, any and all traces of sleep gone. His throat closed up at the sight before him.

Towering over him and encompassing his entire line of sight was his one and only household guest. The wolf’s mouth hung open, tongue lolling to the side. Keiji winced as drool slid down its tongue to pool in the space behind his neck. A shriek caught in his throat.

_ Holy shit.  _ He thought back to the morning his brother left.  _ I didn’t even tell Tetsurou ‘I love you too’.  _

The animal cocked its head at Keiji’s desperate sound. Before then, the overgrowth of fur shadowing its eyes had prevented Keiji from getting a decent look at them. Now that he had, he wished he hadn’t. 

It was perhaps the weirdest fucking expression he’d ever seen on any animal. Owlish, golden eyes stared at him, blinks far too few between for comfort. Keiji’s body began to wrack with small sobs as he tried his best not to move. 

_ I can’t believe I’m going to die alone. In my underwear.  _

The sound of his tears seemingly startled the wolf. It began to jerk its head around, sniffing at different parts of him above his comforter. Keiji cried even harder. Was it going to play with its food? Where would it start?  _ Why the fuck was it so big?  _ At a flash of sharp teeth, Keiji squeezed his eyes shut. 

The movement above him halted for a minute. Keiji held his breath. 

A wet snout nosed at his cheek before the rough feeling of a tongue swiped across the same spot, wiping up the tears. 

“ _ Boof.”  _

He jumped at the sound so close to his face, nearly in his ear. More licks followed the first. Keiji thrashed his head back and forth, frantically. 

“ _ No,”  _ he whispered quietly. He refused to open his eyes, even at the feeling of the animal above him shuffling, settling into a resting position atop his prone body. The wolf whined, before nuzzling its chin against his chest. 

After a few minutes of silence, Keiji’s curiosity got the best of him. He blinked an eye open. 

The wolf lay with its front paws on his chest, chin resting atop of them. It was still staring at Keiji, eyes wide as ever. It was such an unnatural expression that Keiji nearly laughed. 

At the sight of an open eye, the wolf began panting more. It boofed again, quieter this time, and began wiggling its butt in excitement. Keiji’s other eye slid open cautiously. Somehow, golden eyes got even wider.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. This must’ve excited the animal; it barked, louder like the first ones. Keiji couldn’t help but flinch. It whimpered again, before wiggling its way up his chest slowly. 

It wasn’t holding his arms down, more so resting on his middle. If Keiji didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought it was… cuddling?

He kept his eyes open as the wolf wormed its way toward his face. It opened its mouth slightly, giving a barely there lick against his cheek and tickling the spot. He couldn’t contain his giggle.

It was like a switch clicked into place. The wolf immediately continued its earlier licking, uncontrollably and all over his face like an overgrown puppy; it barely left a spot dry. Keiji shrieked, but this time, not out of fear.

“No! No dog breat-- wolf? Wolf breath? No wolf breath!” he said in between bouts of laughter. Without thinking, he tried to push its snout away but it just began to lick there as well, butting its head against his hand. His laughter eventually died down, but his smile stayed. The wolf panted back at him, as if it understood what he was thinking. 

_ Maybe you’re not so  _ [ **_bad_ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmLvOXIPNu8) _.  _


	2. Go On, Baby, Hurt Me Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wondered how much worse this would’ve gone if his brother had known the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, i have an issue.  
> i have a paper due, a big ass hw assignment due, AND an exam i haven't studied for all at the end of this week. but here i am, writing fanfictionhfbifdbf im too invested in this fic guys, i can't stop. i've been sitting on this fic for MONTHS and now im too eager.

“Keiji.”

“Hi, Tetsu.”

“What the fuck is that.”

Keiji glanced down to his side, heart clenching affectionately at the sight of ruffled grey fur. Possibly his favorite thing about the wolf was the way his rear end wiggled and tongue lolled out in excitement.

“Oh, this is Hoot,” he said mildly. Staring back ahead, Keiji dropped a hand down to stroke along his back. He felt the tell-tale rumble of a bark erupting from Hoot. Tetsurou jumped a little, eyes locked in a grimace on the wolf. 

“You-- you named it  _ Hoot?”  _ he laughed nervously. Keiji personally didn’t get what the big deal was. 

“Yes? Have you not seen his--” Keiji started before his brother interrupted, waving his hand through the air dramatically.

“ _ No, believe me,  _ I have noticed.”

It had been a few months or so since Keiji had taken the wolf in. Within a few days, Keiji had noticed the way the fur in front of his eyes hung down and obscured his vision, so, with scissors in hand, he’d done his best. The new haircut (which  _ Keiji  _ found adorable, mind you) allowed for the perfect view of Hoot’s perpetually wide eyes. 

“Jesus, Keiji, it already looks weird, why did you cut its hair like that?” Keiji scowled and leaned over to cup his palms around the wolf’s ears. 

“Stop that. He can hear you, you know,” Keiji hissed, immediately wincing after when he realized how stupid he sounded. “And stop calling him an ‘it’. His name is Hoot.” 

Okay, so yeah,  _ maybe  _ he’d been a little too eager with the scissors. He moved his fingers to stroke through the short strands up front in an attempt to flatten them down. He’d cut them just a tad  _ too  _ short, giving them a spiked appearance. 

At Keiji’s touch, Hoot lifted his head toward him again, panting eagerly. He hiked his front legs up onto Keiji’s chest-- who caught them both with his own hands-- before licking his chin eagerly. 

Tetsurou looked a little panicked at the sight of his jaw so close to Keiji’s neck, “‘Keiji, you realize that is  _ not  _ a dog? Right?” Keiji ignored him, flattening a hand along Hoot’s spine and smiling at the overdose of affection. He nuzzled back into the animal’s cheek. 

“He’s sweet, Tetsu.” Keiji decided he was done with this conversation. Hoot was staying and that was final. “Are you coming in, or not?” Still in Keiji’s arms, Hoot leaned his head back to stare at Tetsurou in the doorway. The action was uncannily human, as if posing a challenge of  _ ‘Yeah, you coming, pussy?’.  _

Tetsurou shook his head, chuckling awkwardly. “Okay, uh, yeah. I’m coming in, ‘Ji.” 

As much as Tetsurou had fretted, he’d almost immediately warmed up to Hoot after spending a few days there. Keiji hid his grin as the two wrestled on the floor.

“ _ Yeah,  _ I’m gonna win, you weird fuck,” Tetsurou grumbled, distracted. His voice was strained as he tried to pin the wolf to the floor belly up. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. 

Hoot, on the other hand, was doing just fine. He was squirming playfully against Tetsurou’s hold. After a few months with Hoot, it was clear to Keiji that his pet wasn’t trying all that hard to get out of his brother’s grasp; he could’ve  _ easily  _ overpowered Tetsurou. Despite Keiji’s tendency to give in to Hoot’s demands for treats, most of the weight the animal had put back on was muscle. Keiji knew this better than anyone-- yeah, Hoot wasn’t much of a fan of baths. 

But still, Hoot lay prone, barking happily when Tetsurou lifted his hands to cheer in victory. With the release, Hoot jumped up and began to run circles around Tetsurou who threw his head back and cackled at the sight. He caught the running wolf in a hug, smirking at Keiji. 

“Wow, it’s almost as if  _ you’re  _ the one who feeds him,” Keiji teased. Hoot barked in Tetsurou’s face, wriggling his way out to run over to Keiji on the couch. With a whisper of, ‘ _ hi honey’,  _ Keiji moved his hands out of his lap to make room for the wolf. Even after he’d settled in, Hoot couldn’t contain his wiggles.

With the relaxed atmosphere, Keiji decided it might be time to break the news.

“Hey, Tetsu?” he said as he stroked a hand along Hoot’s spine. As if noticing the tension there, Hoot nosed Keiji's other hand.

“Yeah?” his brother hummed from where he lay flat on the floor, tired from his roughhousing. 

“Um, so,” he hesitated before deciding it was better to get this over with. “Yuu’s coming over next week.” He gnawed on his cheek at his brother’s curt glare. Tetsurou propped himself back up on his arms and turned his head to him,

“Why?”  _ Fuck.  _ Keiji knew he would be pissed. 

“I just need to give him--” 

“Why are you still  _ talking to him?  _ Why do you not have them both blocked?” Tetsurou snarled. Keiji sighed, subconsciously curling his fingers in grey fur. 

“I’m not like you, Tetsu. I can’t just--” 

“What, not be a doormat?” Keiji swallowed back the lump in his throat. There was a lot of hurt surrounding the situation, but god Keiji hated how brash his brother could be, how he wouldn’t even let him _talk._ His fingers trembled anxiously. 

Underneath his hands, Keiji felt the beginnings of a growl rising in Hoot’s chest. He leaned down to kiss the soft spot between Hoot’s ears, it’d do no good to get him riled. It worked like a charm, the wolf immediately lost all tension in his stance and melted back into Keiji’s lap. 

“I’m not a doormat, Tetsurou,” Keiji said. “We have some stuff we need to sort out.” A flame of irritation sparked in him at the way Tetsurou shook his head. 

Tetsurou snorted sardonically. “Yeah, ‘sort out’, why couldn’t you just ‘ _ sort it out’  _ over the phone?” 

As endearing as it was, the protective big brother act was  _ tired.  _ Keiji was nearly twenty-three, he didn’t need Tetsurou to keep him safe anymore, no matter how much he wanted to. 

Keiji’s tone was final, “Because, Tetsurou, this is how it needs to be done.” 

He wondered how much worse this would’ve gone if his brother had known the  [ **truth** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFxB-LYipjo) . 

* * *

When the day finally came, Keiji found himself regretting his decision. 

_ Maybe Tetsurou was right,  _ he considered as he nervously dug through his clothes.  _ Maybe I shouldn’t have invited him over. _

It was too late. Yuuma had already texted him he was on his way a few hours ago, and there was no way Keiji could tell him to turn back. 

He muffled a scream into the palm of his hands, sliding down against the wall adjacent to his closet. He scrubbed his face in agitation. 

Within a few seconds of his self-loathing, he heard the ‘ _ pitter-patter’  _ of fuzzy feet racing across his cabin floor. There was a low whine before Keiji felt the damp tip of a nose pushing between his fingers. He spread them apart to gaze into Hoot’s eccentric face. As usual, his golden eyes were wide, though Keiji wasn’t sure whether this was out of concern or not. 

Keiji brushed a thumb along Hoot’s cheek, feeling the sharp edges of teeth underneath. “It’s okay, honey. I’m just stressed.” Hoot whined, low in his throat. The wolf licked his face. 

Keiji grabbed his face between his palm, squishing furry cheeks around. It hadn’t taken Keiji very long to discover something important about Hoot: despite his massive size, he was an absolute teddy bear. A pink tongue lolled out as Hoot began to pant in excitement. 

“Who needs  _ men  _ when I have a sweet boy like you?” Keiji cooed. Even Keiji was susceptible to a cute dog-- or, well,  _ wolf.  _

Hoot boofed in his face, like he agreed. Keiji chuckled. 

His laughter halted at the sound of three rapid knocks in succession. His stomach sank as he scrambled up.

“ _Oh my god,”_ he whispered. Hoot jumped to his feet as well, glancing back and forth between Keiji’s open bedroom door and the man himself. “Oh my god, Hoot, _I’m still in my pajamas.”_

Keiji was frantic; he threw the blue set of fabric off and grabbed for the nearest thing from his closet. He groaned, realizing what it was, before throwing it on along with some sweats.

_ Too late now,  _ he reminded himself. Maybe it was for the best that he looked like shit-- better than Yuuma thinking he’d tried too hard. 

Pulling at the wrinkles in his clothes, Keiji swun the door open and tried not to swoon.

Yuuma stood there, looking immaculate as ever. He’d slicked back his dusky brown locks into his usual style, a compliment to his polished button up . This was not fair. He’d clearly tried his best and Keiji looked… awful. Was that--  _ was he wearing cologne?  _

“Keiji,” he rumbled. He looked Keiji up and down, making him more self-conscious than he already was. “You look… lovely.” Keiji frowned at the dubiety in his voice; the compliment was clearly more a formality than anything else. 

Keiji stole a glance of his own at his outfit. It was a little underwhelming, to say the least. He’d exchanged his pajamas for what was essentially another set of pajamas: sweatpants and some goofy t-shirt his brother had gotten him for his 18th birthday. Silver lettering across a black backdrop read, ‘ _ Kiss the birthday boy!’  _ Keiji didn’t need to see the back to remember it’s matching characters that said, ‘ **_I’m_ ** _ the birthday boy!’ _ .

“Thanks,” Keiji said dryly. He leaned back, gesturing Yuuma inside. “Come in, just give me a second and I’ll go grab it.” Yuuma brushed past him, a little too close for comfort. Keiji leaned his neck away and squeezed his eyes as he caught another whiff of that familiar smell. 

_ Stop. You’re fine.  _

Yuuma wasn’t particularly shy about making himself comfortable, plopping on the antique couch and glancing around. He looked a little skeptical. 

“This is certainly different from our apartment in Kyushu,” he said. His smile seemed polite enough, but Keiji could hear the smug undertones in his voice. 

“ _ Your  _ apartment in Kyushu,” Keiji corrected. Shrewd brown eyes caught his in a staredown. 

“Yeah, but it was  _ our  _ apartment,” Yuuma challenged. The corners of his lips twitched in a wry smile. Any mask of propriety was gone, leaving behind the infuriating bastard Keiji knew good and well. Keiji swallowed. He couldn’t allow himself to get caught up in this.

He backed down from the challenge, “I’m going to get it now. Just-- stay here.” He gestured his hand at the couch. 

Once in his bedroom, Keiji allowed himself a few minutes to catch his breath. The knot of tension in his neck loosened at the sight of Hoot perking up from where he lay on his bed. The wolf cocked his head at the sight of Keiji. Hoot began to rise, but Keiji raised his hand to stop him.

“ _ Stay, Hoot,”  _ he whispered before heading for his dresser. It wasn’t much of a search-- Keiji knew exactly where he had left the object in question _.  _ He dug into the back of his top drawer, fingers scavenging through underwear until they eventually closed around a little velvet box. He tugged it out.

Keiji stared at the box longingly as he traced the opening. Unable to help himself, he cracked it open for one last glance. 

As expected of a family like Yuuma’s, the ring was extravagant. It had a masculine golden band lined with several diamonds, the largest settled in the middle in emphasis. Only after weeks of Tetsurou’s insistence had Keiji finally taken it off and hidden it until that very moment.

The box shut with a loud  _ ‘snap’.  _

When Keiji returned to the living room, the brunet was no longer sitting, choosing instead to wander around the little cabin. Keiji frowned when he heard a scoff.

“What? You don’t like my kitchen?” He announced his presence as he approached warily. Yuuma gave a casual shrug of his shoulder, running the same hand along the kitchen island.

“It’s cute, I guess.” 

Keiji fumed silently. 

_ Condescending  _ **_prick._ **

Yuuma had always had a bit of a mouth on him, but he’d never been this much of an asshole, at least, not to Keiji. But as much as he was loath to admit it, Keiji knew the other man well-- practically better than he knew himself-- and he’d always been a sore loser. Although irritated, Keiji let the backhanded remark go. At this point, he’d do anything to get Yuuma out of his house and back on the road to Kyushu sooner. 

Keiji held out the box to his ex, “Here’s the ring. Perfect condition.” He shook it a little, insistent that he take it. 

When Yuuma reached over to take it, he stole the chance to run a sneaky finger along Keiji’s palm. Keiji snapped it back almost immediately.

“Stop,” he said, stone cold. “That’s not funny.” His words were followed by a swallow.

Yuuma’s face softened into a familiar expression; the right side of his face lifted into a crooked smile, eyes brimming with affection. It’d been so long since Keiji had seen that smile. A nasty, desperate little thing in him begged for him, for Yuuma: for Keiji to just pull him into his arms and forgive him, let bygones be bygones. 

“C’mon, ‘Ji, don’t act like we’re strangers,” his words were tight, reminding Keiji how much their lives had changed in the last several months. Because no, they  _ weren’t  _ strangers, but god did Keiji  [ **wish** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCCJCILiX3o) they were. 

Tetsurou had been calling him that nickname since they were young, a habit so old Keiji doubted he even remembered where he’d gotten it from.  _ Who  _ he’d gotten it from.

“I’m tired, Yuuma. Just take the ring, and go,” Keiji wanted to sound stern, but even he could hear the tremble in his voice. The words had barely made it past his throat, clawing their way up his chest and burying deep in his lungs. 

In an unsurprising turn of events, Yuuma did what he did best and ignored him. He took the ring out of Keiji’s hand, but rather than leaving like he was told, he placed it on the counter beside him before crowding into Keiji.

Yuuma was a lot of things, but he wasn’t irredeemable. No, Keiji was just as responsible for the hand curling around Yuuma’s neck and pulling him in. 

Keiji prayed Yuuma couldn’t feel the tears stealing their way into the kiss, but knew it was a moot point. 

Yuuma, on the other hand, smiled into their kiss. He mouthed along the side of Keiji’s cheek until he reached his ear, tugging at it before focusing his attention on a neck that’d been deprived of touch so long, Keiji couldn’t have even  _ tried  _ not to moan. Yuuma slammed Keiji’s back into the island behind him as he made his way down his neck.

It felt fantastic,  _ amazing,  _ but-- Keiji couldn’t find himself getting lost in their kiss like he normally did. There was a feeling of unease settling in the air around him. Almost as if…

Keiji slid his eyes open at the same time he did his mouth, letting out a weak groan from Yuuma’s attentions. The collar of his ex-fiance’s shirt was concealing Keiji’s vision. Annoyed, he stretched his arms a little further underneath Yuuma’s arms, attempting to tug the collar down and tightening his hold in the process. Mistaking his action for zeal, Yuuma gripped harder as well, hiking up one of Keiji’s legs to wrap around his own.

Fortunately, the motion finally allowed for Keiji to get a grip on the collar, tugging it down and opening his line of vision.  _ Unfortunately,  _ any trace of lust he’d felt was gone in an instant. 

Standing on the couch,  _ directly  _ in Keiji’s line of vision, was his oversized pet. Hoot was stone still, just staring motionlessly at the lovers with that unsettling gaze. Keiji grimaced. 

“Yuuma,” he said, uncomfortably. Yuuma moaned in his ear, repeating Keiji’s name back. Keiji unwrapped his arms from around his back, pushing at his shoulder a little. 

Yuuma was lost in the moment, now kissing along the shoulder of the arm Keiji had moved closest to him. 

“ _ Yuuma,”  _ Keiji hissed again, shoving him and effectively separating them. 

“Wha--?” Yuuma was unprepared for the force, stumbling a few feet back and dropping Keiji’s leg. “What’s--” he cleared his throat of the rasp left over from their moment _.  _ “What’s wrong?” 

Keiji was still staring into golden eyes across the room, immediately mortified. Confused, Yuuma raised a hand to Keiji’s face, but was quickly batted away. 

“ _ Stop,  _ we can’t fuck in front of my dog,” he said, and then groaned as he came to. “In fact, we can’t  _ fuck at all!”  _ With widened eyes, Yuuma gave a baffled little shake of his head.

“Dog? Since when do you--” Yuuma had turned around mid sentence to follow Keiji’s line of sight, and was interrupted by his own shriek. “ _ Fuck!”  _ He took a step back in surprise, knocking the stool next to him over with a loud clang. Ignoring the fallen chair, he caught his balance on the edge of the island and gestured wildly at Hoot. 

“Keiji,  _ Jesus Christ,  _ that thing is fucking ugly.” Yuuma stared at the wolf in horror. “Why are its eyes like  _ that?”  _ Keiji’s hackles rose in defense of his pet. None too carefully, he shouldered past Yuuma and toward the couch where Hoot stood. 

“Don’t talk about my dog like that, asshole.” He wrapped his arms around Hoot’s chest, the angle a little awkward, and scowled furiously at Yuuma. “He’s adorable.” It was almost comical how good the timing was as Hoot seemingly puffed his chest out. “And you need to leave.” 

Yuuma laughed a little hysterically, “Really, Keiji? Is this ‘cause I called your ‘dog’ ugly? C’mon, ‘Ji, don’t you think you’re a little biased?” Deep brown eyes had yet to stray from Hoot, still wide as saucers. He mumbled incredulously, “ _ Fuck,  _ that thing is huge.” 

“ _ No,  _ Yuuma, I don’t  _ ‘think’  _ anything. I want you out of here,  _ now. _ ” The shock and discomfort had pulled him out of his little fairytale, leaving him time to remember  _ exactly  _ how they had gotten to this point in the first place.

Yuuma deflated in disappointment, but kept a nervous eye on Hoot. “Keiji, that’s not fair, can’t we just tal--” 

“ _ No!”  _ Keiji himself was starting to get hysterical. “Take the ring, and  _ go. _ ” As Yuuma began to step toward them, a deep snarl emanated from the wolf beside Keiji. 

In the months since he’d had him, Keiji had never heard such a sound come from Hoot. The wolf’s barks had always been gentle, maybe a little excitable, but sweet nonetheless. He hadn’t interacted with many others outside of Keiji, but he’d always been friendly when he did. Now, Keiji found himself nearly shivering at the sound. 

Yuuma seemed to agree, hesitating where he stood. With a few more glances back and forth, Yuuma eventually sighed in defeat. He licked his lips, dragging a sharp motion of a hand down his chin and shaking his head. 

“Fine. Call me when you’re ready to talk.” Yuuma snatched the box off the table and stormed outside, making sure to slam the door on his way out. 

When the door closed, Keiji crumpled to a heap on the couch. Hoot let himself be easily pulled along with the movement as Keiji began to sob. 

* * *

Koutarou had tried everything--  _ everything  _ to get Keiji to stop crying. After half an hour of his efforts, he sunk into a sad ruffled ball of fur beside him on his bed. At least he’d gotten him to move to his room. 

Keiji seemed content enough with just his presence. He tugged himself closer on the bed, burying his wet cheeks in grey fur. 

“You’re such a good boy, Hoot,” he murmured. “Thank you for stopping me from making a bad decision.”

Ah, well. It hadn’t exactly been as selfless as that. 

Keiji had told him to stay put, and of  _ course  _ Koutarou wanted to follow his orders-- he was  _ Keiji,  _ after all-- but the smell emanating from the room was enough to bring him running. 

Keiji had been stressed, so stressed it was quite literally leaking from his pores. Koutarou couldn’t leave him like that, direct order or not. 

He’d been a little surprised to find the strange man, this…  _ Yuuma  _ guy Tetsurou had mentioned, pulling Keiji into his arms. The smell of distress was quickly replaced with a sweeter one. Koutarou was ready to kill the man in an instant.

The  _ audacity  _ of this motherfucker-- to waltz in here, upset Keiji, and then kiss up on him like it was nothing. The anger surging through his veins was interrupted as a small sound emitted from the pair. Koutarou’s eyes drifted over from the broad back to the arms wrapped around it. Was that-- did that--  _ come from Keiji?  _

Curiously, Koutarou lifted his head in an attempt to get a better look at his friend, but huffed quietly in disappointment when he couldn’t. 

_ Motherfucker is blocking Keiji from me.  _ He quietly hopped onto the couch, hoping for a better look.

There was a bit of an awkward scuffle as Keiji’s arms moved around before Yuuma grasped at his thigh, lifting it to curl around his waist. The action nearly made Koutarou go feral. Luckily enough for Yuuma, Koutarou was too distracted by the reveal of Keiji’s face to react. The collar was still blocking Keiji’s line of vision, but Koutarou could see him  _ perfectly  _ from his spot. 

Dark curls were swept back across his forehead, leaving a serene image in view. His mouth hung open and pretty blue eyes were hooded above pinkened cheeks. Keiji’s pupils swallowed the color in his iris. Maybe it was because Koutarou hadn’t gotten laid in awhile-- which, in his defense, he’d been in wolf form for  _ months  _ with Keiji; it wasn’t like he could just leave-- or maybe he’d grown more fond of Keiji than he’d realized, but a heavy feeling stirred in his gut. 

This felt a little wrong, in hindsight. Probably  _ was  _ a little wrong-- Keiji had told him to stay, but he’d ignored him and now Koutarou was about two seconds from keeling over and whining for him. Was that unfair? To cockblock him like that? 

Thankfully, Koutarou didn’t have to make the decision himself. Keiji tugged the collar down, opening his line of vision to Koutarou. He instantly grimaced.

_ You know what? Fair enough.  _

So yeah, perhaps Koutarou’s staring problem hadn’t exactly been self-sacrificial. But if Keiji wanted to think the best of him then, well, Koutarou certainly wouldn’t complain. 

In the present, Keiji snuggled closer to him. He’d inevitably stopped crying, but this now wasn’t much better.

“I don’t want to hurt anymore, Hoot,” he whispered into Koutarou’s fur. “I’ve hurt  _ so  _ bad for so long.” 

Koutarou let out a low whine, nosing at Keiji’s hairline with his snout.

Keiji didn’t deserve this. Keiji was  _ good.  _ He was kind, and loving. Keiji had never taken him into town, always too afraid of the consequences, but Koutarou noticed the way he’d write extra things on his grocery list to bring to the Ito family. He heard the long conversations where Keiji would call his brother on the weekends after a game, the faint sound of Tetsurou’s voice chattering away on the phone in excitement. Keiji never spoke much during those conversations, just smiled in endearment. 

Most of all, Keiji saved him. Keiji had no reason to, but he’d chosen to rescue the large, quite frankly,  _ terrifying  _ animal on his lawn from not only the storm of the season, but then starvation. Koutarou knew he was worse for wear when Keiji had found him, but somehow he’d managed to help him back to a healthier state than ever before. 

Keiji was good. Keiji was  _ so good,  _ and Koutarou loved him for it. 

A realization like this should’ve been absurd; Koutarou was a werewolf. He didn’t stay in one place too long, and he tried not to form any lingering attachments with humans. Despite this, a feeling of ease spread over him like a comforting blanket. 

_ Of course  _ he was in love with Keiji. But the thing was-- Keiji didn’t need that right now. Keiji needed love, platonic love,  _ familial love.  _ He didn’t need someone else to complicate his life. Koutarou knew that, and for that exact reason, he made a  [ **decision** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvYJz_oUGow) .

_ He can’t ever know.  _

“Who even cares what he thinks?” Keiji sniffled, leaning off him for a second to scrub away the snot before returning back to his furry pillow. “He thought you were  _ ugly. _ ”

Koutarou wasn’t a fool; he knew his wolf form wasn’t cute. Yuuma might’ve been a piece of shit, but he was right about one thing: Keiji was  _ definitely  _ biased. 

“And I think you’re  _ such  _ a handsome boy,” Keiji crooned. 

But if it got Keiji to say things like that, Koutarou couldn’t care less. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u guys so much for the positive response to this fic!! i appreciate all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, hits, etc. thank u so much <3 
> 
> also, a lil disclaimer: i am NOT trying to give off dog fucker vibes in this LMAOO koutarou is a werewolf and any and all relationship between them (from keiji's POV) will ONLY happen when he's in human form


	3. Oh, You Fill My Lungs With Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warped perception of time? Check.  
> Unwarranted, uncontrollable aggression? Check.  
> Probably a little too horny for his own good? Definitely check (though, that may have just been a side-effect of living with literal angel, Akaashi Keiji).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fsdjdsjb thank u guys so much. you are all so lovely and kind.
> 
> also i likely will not normally be posting this much. i'm on a huge kick & can't stop writing LMAO

Keiji tried to ignore the wails coming from his closet. The cries were followed by the sound of paws batting against the door, and then more agony. With a pinched brow and disappointed sigh, he went to open the door. 

“ _ Honey, _ ” Keiji started. A fluff of grey fur raced out of the tight space, immediately curling around Keiji’s legs. “How do you keep getting yourself locked in there?  _ Why _ ? You know what’s going to happen.” Hoot lifted his snout into the air to sniff at Keiji and he couldn’t help but melt.

He’d never seen an animal look as excited to see  _ anyone  _ as Hoot did him. Not only was it endearing, but flattering as well. Hoot almost made it hard to feel lonely. 

Lowering his thighs into a squat, Keiji kneaded at the thick fur surrounding Hoot’s neck, “I know you’re antsy. Just let me finish this chapter, and we’ll try something new, okay?” Hoot yipped back, tongue lolling out. 

Chuckling, Keiji returned to his desk with his pet trailing closely behind. He settled back into his chair and scanned the file again with an exasperated groan. 

One of his current works in progress came from his second-to-least favorite writer to work with: an older gentleman living just outside of Tokyo. Keiji found his work painfully dull. It was primarily focused around conspiracy theories, some of which he debunked, others which he ‘verified’. To Keiji, it felt like the ramblings of a mad man. 

“C’mere, Hoot,” Keiji called. He needed some emotional support for this. 

Per usual, Hoot was more than eager to rush over, crawling into the space beneath Keiji’s desk. He propped his chin on his knee, gazing up at Keiji doe-eyed. Keiji mindlessly scratched at the markings between his ears while he typed with his other hand. 

“What kind of writer mixes up the words ‘prosecute’ and ‘prosecco’?” he muttered. “How do you even mess up that badly?” 

After fifteen minutes or so, Keiji’s laptop lit up with a new email notification. He’d already decided to ignore it, before he noticed the name. 

**New Email From:**

[ **shibatak95@outlook.com** ](mailto:shibatak@outlook.com)

Keiji frowned: his least favorite author to work with. Abandoning the other tab, he immediately opened the email. 

**Keiji,**

_ I’m unimpressed with your comments on my last chapter. They’re nitpicky at best, and offensive at worst. If you’re not going to be professional about this, I will not hesitate to complain to Suzuki-san about misconduct.  _

**Best,**

**SK**

Keiji couldn’t contain his affronted gasp. Hoot, who’d begun dozing off, shot up at the sound and knocked his head against the wood above him. The wolf seemed unconcerned by this. Rather, he sniffed around Keiji frantically, nosing at his arms for injuries. 

Keiji used the edge of the desk to push his chair back, immediately crouching to the floor and gently prodding at Hoot’s skull to feel for injuries, “ _ Oh, shoot,  _ I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” After confirming Hoot was okay, Keiji returned to the issue at hand. 

Keiji considered his options with a furrowed brow. What even was the proper etiquette for this? 

**Shibata-san,**

_ I apologize that you feel I’ve d _

The message was deleted instantly. Keiji’s chest burned at the thought of apologizing to him. He tried again. 

**Shibata-san,**

_ Although I appreciate your input, I feel that my critiques were fair and just. That being said, I _

Deleted once again. Too casual. 

**Shibata-san,**

_ Go fuck yourself.  _

Keiji smiled wryly.  _ God  _ he wished he could send that. 

**Shibata-san,**

_ I have tried my best to keep my biases at bay due to our abnormal circumstances. If you disagree and would like to talk, you have my number. _

**Sincerely,**

**Akaashi Keiji**

* * *

Pretending to be a normal animal was a double-edged sword for Koutarou. On one hand, it allowed him to spend all his time with Keiji. On the other, Koutarou had quickly realized what pigs men were. 

It had taken a few months, but Keiji had finally deemed it safe enough to take Koutarou into town with him. As long as he was leashed and nearby, people tended to ignore the pair-- or, well, they tended to ignore  _ Koutarou.  _

A month or so into their escapades, their first problem arose. 

Deciding Keiji was in need of a break, Koutarou spent the morning whining at the door until the editor got the hint. He  _ might  _ have employed his most lethal technique: puppy eyes. 

The sun was high in the sky, beaming over the resting pair where they lay in the park. Keiji had been nearly ripping his hair out with stress these last few weeks. More and more frequently, Koutarou could hear the sounds of frustrated back-and-forths between Keiji and the same client. Nothing special, if it weren’t for the immediate drop in Keiji’s mood after. 

Keiji mumbled drowsily into Koutarou’s fur. His right cheek was pressed into the wolf’s side, rising and falling with the pace of his breath, while his exposed eye scanned the page of a book. He read the words aloud, whether for Koutarou’s benefit or his own, he couldn’t tell. 

The picnic blanket below them should’ve been nice. It _should’ve_ been comfortable; it was Koutarou’s favorite, after all. Today, the fabric felt like steel wool. Something was wrong. All day, there’d been a prickling of agitation lurking under his skin. He’d nearly snarled at a passing couple when they got too close, only barely managing to restrain himself. Anxious, he clung closer to Keiji’s side. 

The soothing breeze of Keiji’s voice was the only thing keeping his jitters at bay; soft spoken encouragements and endearments a balm to Koutarou’s worsening trepidation. His teeth ached beneath his gums. 

At the sight of an approaching man, a warning growl rumbled in his chest. Keiji hummed quietly, oblivious. 

Keiji had yet to notice the newcomer, giving the man a chance to observe. Koutarou followed the path that sly eyes took down the line of Keiji’s spine. His eyebrows rose appreciatively. Koutarou’s thundering bark startled him before he could ogle too long.

Still wrapped around his pet, Keiji tilted his head over his shoulder, giving their new guest a confused once-over. 

The man was quick to conceal his leer, shifting into a charming grin. “Hey there, you’re new around here, aren’t you?” 

The fur on Koutarou’s neck bristled. He wasn’t sure he could handle watching yet  _ another  _ man flirt with Keiji. At least women had the decency to be forthcoming about their intentions, quick enough for Keiji to decline and polite enough to listen, but men? Men were discreet. They’d chat him up for a few minutes before they made their move, lowering his guard while raising Koutarou’s. 

Koutarou didn’t hear Keiji’s vague response, too invested in the way he lifted off his back with a slight grunt. He folded his legs into a criss-cross to speak to the man. Koutarou rose as well. 

“It’s always so nice to see a new face. We don’t get a lot of those, y’know?” On a surface level, Koutarou supposed the man seemed friendly enough-- but they don’t call it wolf instincts for nothing. 

The man  _ reeked  _ of lust. Every time Keiji offered him a polite smile, the scent flickered higher, rising with Koutarou’s surging temper. 

Roaring waves of blood rushed through his ears, blocking out everything else around them. 

_ Something’s wrong,  _ he reminded himself.  _ This is nothing new, how many guys have you seen hit on Keiji?  _

Despite this, Koutarou found himself quickly losing his rationality. His teeth  _ itched.  _

“Hoot?” And like a child pulled along a rope, Koutarou was tugged back to reality. 

At some point, Koutarou had lowered his head. He had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Keiji before, but was now hunched over onto his front paws, lower back raised in a lunging stance. 

He glanced between the two of them, as guilty as a felon. 

The intruder seemed horrified, apparently able to sense the threats rolling off Koutarou in waves. On the contrary, Keiji’s nose was scrunched in bemusement. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he murmured. The other man’s presence was immediately forgotten as Keiji focused his attention on the wolf. “Do you need a break? Do I need to take you home?” 

Koutarou pushed the whine building out of his chest. His mounting overstimulation must’ve been getting to him; his brain becoming consumed by the static. He could feel his instincts clawing away at his insides,  _ begging  _ him to let them take over.

_ Protect, home, threat,  _ they promised.

_ Keiji,  _ they demanded. 

The man’s voice scratched the record playing in his head. He was asking if Keiji was okay, if  _ ‘Hoot’  _ was okay. Koutarou didn’t care. 

For the first time ever, Koutarou made a break for it. He ignored the despondent pleas from Keiji for him to return despite his screaming senses. 

The world around him spun as he burst through the treeline of the neighboring forest. The usually comforting canopy of green overhead felt oppressive in the midst of his panic. He’d barely ran a few miles by the time he toppled over, howling in agony as he shifted to his human state. It’d been long.  _ Too  _ long. 

His bones snapped, trying their best to oppose rearrangement after months spent as a wolf. The sound was nearly earsplitting. 

Koutarou sat on all fours, sobbing hysterically as he gasped for breath. He let out another cry as his ribcage cracked. 

He’d never gone this long as a wolf. There’d always been breaks in between: some time spent as human, some spent as lycan. There’d never been a  _ reason  _ for him not to. Not until Keiji.

As Koutarou crumpled to the floor, back pressed against the damp earth while he watched the world swirl around him, he made a realization.

The most chilling part of this experience was not the torment of a shattering body. No, it was the guarantee that had he not left, he would have certainly torn that man’s throat out in the middle of a park. 

Yeah, something was  _ definitely _ wrong. 

* * *

Koutarou spent several hours trudging through the forest before he went home to Keiji. He knew it was selfish,  _ knew  _ that Keiji must’ve been losing his mind, but the lingering breeze on still-heated skin was a temptation too great to ignore. Eventually, the darkening sky encouraged his return. When he finally made his way back to the cabin at the edge of the woods, he almost regretted his detour. 

He could smell the devastation and fear from nearly a mile away. The scent of Keiji’s turmoil was mixed with other familiar scents as well. 

As he approached the cabin, Koutarou leaned over to quickly shift back into his wolf form before the clearing came into view. He was thankful for the tree concealing him. He also noted the distinct lack of pain compared to his earlier transformation, but brushed it aside at the sound of voices.

“It’s okay, Akaashi-kun. We’ll find him, okay?” After a moment, Koutarou recognized the voice of Ito, Sorawo’s father. He must’ve stopped by to help Keiji search.

“No-- he’s-- these woods are  _ so  _ big, Ito-san, we’re never--” Koutarou’s heart plummeted at the gasping sound coming from Keiji. “--I can’t-- it’s been  _ days. _ ” 

Koutarou froze. Any comfort he’d felt from his walk vanished. How long had he been--  _ days? It had been days? _

“What if something happened to him? What if he got hurt?” Keiji was rambling now, a little manic. Koutarou peered around the edge of the tree, listening to the sounds of reassuring murmurs from Ito. 

Koutarou didn’t  _ hate  _ Ito, per se. He’d always been kind to Keiji, and his daughter was adorable; but sometimes the wolf would detect a whiff of longing in his scent around Keiji. Had he been a little more forward with his attraction, perhaps Koutarou would’ve felt threatened. It was a bit hard to with the way Ito fell into a bumbling, starry-eyed mess of nerves around Keiji. The young father was currently rubbing a hand down Keiji’s spine in a comforting stroke, probably a little too familiar-- but well-intentioned nonetheless. 

Koutarou prepared himself for the resurgence of rage to flood him like earlier, but was surprised to find it absent. The only thing present was the slight tinge of irritation he always felt around Ito. 

Relieved, but unwilling to question it, Koutarou deemed it safe enough to return to his Keiji. 

“ _ Boof,”  _ The sound erupted from his chest as he dashed across the clearing. 

Keiji whipped his head around, zeroing in on Koutarou with red-rimmed eyes. He sprinted to meet Koutarou in the middle.

He collapsed to the floor to bury his neck in Koutarou’s back; the thick fur stifled his blubbering, and yet, Koutarou’s chest still panged at the soft cries of gratitude and whimpers of  _ ‘Hoot’.  _

Like the mean, disgusting,  _ beast  _ who abandoned his someone like Keiji, Koutarou swiped his tongue along Keiji’s cheeks to lick up his tears. A snort burst out of the brunet at his ministrations. 

Even with snot dribbling out of his nose and usually-pristine curls array, he was the most beautiful thing Koutarou had ever seen. 

As Koutarou lay in bed beside Keiji that night, bare arms draped around him, he recounted the last few days.

Warped perception of time? Check.

Unwarranted, uncontrollable aggression? Check.

Probably a  _ little  _ too horny for his own good?  _ Definitely  _ check (though, that may have just been a side-effect of living with  _ literal _ angel, Akaashi Keiji).

It all added up perfectly.

See, shifting was a bit like stretching a muscle; if left neglected too long, it would become inflexible, losing its elasticity. Without Koutarou’s usual frequent shifts back and forth, he’d gotten a little  _ too  _ in tune with his wolf side. His body was falling prey to his base instincts. 

Koutarou rumbled in disbelief. 

He stiffened slightly when Keiji groaned in response, tightening his hold as he breathed out a ‘ _ shh, Hoot, it’s bedtime’.  _

With a deep, invasive sniff of Keiji’s hair that only a pet could get away with, Koutarou let sleep overcome him with a nose full of lavender. 

* * *

Koutarou wanted to  _ cry.  _ He was curled up on their living room rug, whimpering softly to the sounds of Keiji’s conversation; he’d fucked things up worse than he’d thought.

“No, I--” Keiji took a minute to pull the phone away, covering the receiver while he released an exasperated sigh between bitten lips. He squeezed his eyes shut before lifting it back up. “I apologize again, Shibata-san. I have  _ not  _ been ignoring your cal--” He paused again at the grating tinny of a voice blurted through his speaker. Long fingers repeatedly clenched into his palm next to Keiji’s furious scowl. Despite this, his tone stayed polite.

“ _ Yes,  _ I saw your last chapter and  _ no,  _ I have not had time to edit it. I’m aware it’s taken me past the deadline, but I’ve had a difficult last few days.” Another short pause. “Though that’s  _ really _ none of your business.”

The furrow in his brow deepened. “No,” he spat. “Absolutely not. Why do you need my address?” 

The two bickered back and forth for several more minutes before Keiji finally hung up, slamming his phone down on the table. He raked a hand through tousled curls. 

“Asshole.”

Dark eyes searched the room until they landed on Koutarou’s sniveling form. He smiled, softly. 

“Forget about him. Let’s go, honey,” Keiji said, dangling Koutarou’s leash with a little shake. “Downtown closes in a few hours.” 

All day, Keiji had been cooing about some surprise. From the looks of it, Keiji was pretty excited, which in turn, made  _ Koutarou  _ pretty excited. 

As the two started their walk into town, Koutarou noted the nervous glances snuck his way. He also felt the occasional tug of his leash, gentle, but ensuring he stayed close. He supposed he couldn’t blame Keiji; he’d put him through the wringer, after all. He also couldn’t really be mad with how  _ cute  _ Keiji was being. What should’ve been a thirty minute walk always turned into an hour with all his  [ **detours** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3nzvmov5KU) ; he’d stop and point at all the flowers, giving Koutarou time to fake interest and sniff them for Keiji’s sake. The way he beamed fondly was worth pretending to give a shit about tulips. He also had a peculiar interest in acorns. He collected various sizes and shapes, smiling a little at the stranger ones. Koutarou didn’t get it, personally, but nonetheless helped Keiji search for every single god damn acorn.

But, in Koutarou’s humble (unbiased) opinion, the best part of these treks into town was the way Keiji rambled. Every time was a different story.

“When I turned eighteen--” Keiji stopped to giggle a little at the thought. Koutarou would’ve purred if he could. “When I turned eighteen, Tetsurou and I got matching tattoos.” Koutarou ‘woofed’ quietly.  _ Where? _

The scandalous look Keiji gave him lit a low fire in his belly, only further fueled by the words that followed, “On our  _ asses.”  _ Keiji snorted, horribly amused by the memory, and completely blind to the suffering wolf beside him.

“I was  _ so  _ drunk, or else he never could’ve convinced me.” Keiji continued his recount of the party, but left out the most important detail;  _ what the fuck was the tattoo  _ **_of_ ** _?  _

Shamefully, Koutarou found himself crafting an image for himself. He wondered vaguely where it was. Beneath the swell of his ass, kissing the skin where his thigh creased? Or higher up, stretching across a cheek? 

He bet it was something pretty, tasteful, just like Keiji. His mouth watered at the thought the whole way into town. 

Eventually, the pair stopped in front of a small shop. Koutarou tilted his head, bemused. 

It was a tiny little nook of a store tucked away in an alley: a homemade leather shop. Keiji and Koutarou were well acquainted with the owner, a sweet older gentleman who liked to give Koutarou treats when they walked past. 

_ But what are we doing here?  _

A bell chimed as they entered. The owner leaned over the counter, worrying away at a stain when he glanced up. He welcomed them with a toothy grin before he flopped the rag over his shoulder.

“Ah, my  _ favorite  _ customers. I’ve been expecting you.” he said. He crouched down beneath the counter, filling the room with the sounds of scuffling as he dug around. “I’ve never made one of these before, so you’ll need to tell me if it needs to be adjusted.” 

“Hi Sato-san,” Keiji said, in his typical stoic tone tinged with warmth. “I--” 

Koutarou couldn’t help himself. Eagerly, he hoisted his front paws onto the glass before him, peering down to stare at Sato. 

“Hoot!” Keiji scolded, tugging at his leash gently. “I’m so sorry, Sato-san.” 

Warm brown eyes met Koutarou’s over the counter top, crinkling in mirth. Koutarou barked, unable to contain his excitement at the prospect of a surprise. The older gentleman lifted a box in his right hand and moved it toward Koutarou’s mouth. The wolf didn’t hesitate; he snatched it between his teeth, running the object over to Keiji with a wagging tail. 

Careful fingers untied the ribbon encasing the box before sliding out a thin ring of leather. Koutarou immediately recognized the design. 

Sandalwood-colored leather was woven into a rattan pattern with a little charm dangling from the middle: a collar. 

**HOOT**

**(080) XXXX-XXXX,**

**AKAASHI KEIJI**

**(ADDRESS)**

In the middle of the store, Keiji kneeled down to hook the piece around his neck. The apples of his cheeks rose ever so slightly, pleased. Koutarou’s chest thrummed with adoration. 

“There,” Keiji said, quiet enough for just them to hear. “Now if we ever lose each other, someone can help you get home to me.”

[ **_Home_ ** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8inJtTG_DuU) _.  _

The forest had always been his home, and he loved it, sure.

But it never felt as right as home with Keiji. 

* * *

After a week of catching up on work, Keiji had passed out on the couch in exhaustion. Normally, Koutarou would do one of two things.

  1. Curl up with him.
  2. Stare at his face like a fucking creep because a sleeping Keiji was heavenly: drool, snores, and all. 



Today was not one of those days. 

As quiet as possible, Koutarou pushed his way past the screen door; Keiji tended to leave it open on warmer days. He winced at the crack of the door, rushing past. 

The wolf circled around the little cabin to the back, glancing around nervously, before melting in relief. 

Right in the middle of their backyard, Koutarou shifted into a human. His bones ached a little-- shifting around your whole skeleton  _ will  _ do that to you-- but nowhere near as painful as the other week. He moaned in euphoria.

“Oh  _ fuck  _ yeah, man,” he rotated his arms, stretching the muscles. “That hits the  _ spot. _ ” His neck cracked with the motion. “ _ Holy shit,  _ I could cum from that.” 

Speaking of jizz, when was the last time Koutarou  _ had?  _ Nearly half a year?  _ You  _ try masturbating with werewolf claws and no opposable thumbs. 

Koutarou glanced down at his dick. 

“You ready, big guy?” he nearly laughed at his own joke. 

“You have approximately ten seconds to get the fuck out of here before I shoot your dick off, you fucking freak.” 

Koutarou shrieked, spinning around. 

It was a terrifying thing, really, to meet the barrel of a shotgun while buck-ass naked. Even more so to realize who held it. 

Keiji hadn’t been expecting his brother today, or any time this week. Must’ve been a surprise visit. 

Listen, listen, in Koutarou’s defense--  _ they lived in the middle of nowhere.  _ It wasn’t like people just came around often! Besides, this had become his new routine over the past week with no previous complications. Not--  _ not _ the jerking off in Keiji’s lawn, but the shifting there, sure. 

“Hey, man, I think--” Koutarou’s voice was raspy from neglect. Much like his dick, his throat had gotten a little dusty. “I think we’ve got a bit of a misunderstanding here.” Tetsurou raised a brow, eyes shifting between his face and flaccid penis.

“Ten seconds is up.” 

Koutarou probably set records with the way he ran. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u all so much for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, hits, etc. <3
> 
> also! if you wanna chat, my tumblr is bubble-tea-and-biodiversity and my twitter is bubbleteanadbio

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading <3 hope you like it & there's more to come.  
> Also! If you wanna chat, my Tumblr is bubble-tea-and-biodiversity or my Twitter is bubbleteaandbio.


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